Brothers to take on Mount Kilimanjaro

A Deeside man and his brother are to scale Mount Kilimanjaro in memory of their father.

Derek Bryce, from Banchory, and Graham, 43, are in training to tackle the peak to fundraise for the charity which helped their dad in his two-year battle with Motor Neurone Disease.

If we’d done this a few years ago I’m sure he wouldn’t have let us go without him

Derek Bryce
Son

Bill Bryce passed away aged 74 last July and his sons decided they wanted to give something back to MND Scotland, the organisation that provided support for the family.

Father-of-two Derek, 46, said: “Lots of people have said to us, ‘Your dad would have loved to do Kilimanjaro’, so it’s nice that we can do this in his memory.

“He was a very active man so if we’d done this a few years ago I’m sure he wouldn’t have let us go without him.”

The laboratory manager added: “We thought that by taking on a huge challenge like this one, people would be extra generous...and they have been.

“We originally set our target for £3,000 but quickly exceeded this and have now raised over £4,000. We are stunned by people’s generosity and hope we can continue to increase this amount over the next six months.”

Lisa Glenday, MND Scotland’s community and events fundraiser, said: “Having climbed Kilimanjaro myself, I know this trek will be a once in a lifetime experience for Derek and Graham and most certainly no easy challenge.

“The climb is a wonderful way to remember their father and I wish them the best of luck. We are extremely grateful that they have chosen to support MND Scotland, to help us continue to deliver support to people affected by MND across the country and fund vital research into finding a cure.”

The brothers will head off to Kilimanjaro on October 15.

Donations can be made online at https://www.justgiving.com/Graham-and-Derek-Bryce.

MND is a terminal illness which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles.

Anyone wanting more information about what help can be provided should visit www.mndscotland.org.uk